The Message of the Qur’an

The Message of the Qur’an

1985 10 October 17-19 The Message of the Qur’an (1018) Chapter II (contd.) 1020

“Believers, do not say Ra’ina, but say Undhurna. Take heed: the unbelievers shall be sternly punished. The unbelievers among the People of the Book, and the polytheists, resent that any blessings should have been sent down to you from your Lord. But God chooses whom He will for His mercy. And God’s grace is infinite. If We abrogate any verse or cause it to be forgotten, We will replace it by a better one or one similar. Do you not know that it is to God that the control over the heavens and the earth belongs, and that there is none besides Him to protect or help you? Would you rather demand of your Apostle that which was once demanded of Moses? He that barters faith for unbelief has surely strayed from the right path” (2:104-108).

One who has been given knowledge of the truth from God has to face stiff opposition when he starts to impart his knowledge to others. Acceptance of truth entails negation of the self. People of position always find this hard, and none more so than the Jews, who considered prophethood to be their exclusive right. Unable to conceive of a prophet coming amongst another people, they tried various ploys to turn people away from the Arab Prophet. One of the theological objections that they raised to his teachings was on the subject of abrogation. Some of the Quranic injunctions differ from Mosaic law, they would say. Does God make mistakes in His revelations, that He sends down one commandment, and then replaces it with another? This shows that what the Prophet Mohammad teaches is not from God, but of his own creation. So intensive had this propaganda campaign become that even some simple-minded Muslims were affected, and started raising the question with the Prophet. Another thing that the Jews would do was sit in the Prophet’s company and, by playing on words, make fun of him. For instance, instead of using the unambiguous Arabic word for “May we have your attention” – “Undhurna” – they would say “Raina”. “Raina”, when pronounced properly, has much the same meaning as “Undhurna”, but with protraction of the second vowel it becomes “Raeena”, meaning “our shepherd”, and with protraction of the first it becomes “Raina”, which means idiot.

So the Muslims were told to avoid ambiguous words, and be quite clear in their speech; words with a derisive shade of meaning should be especially eschewed. Furthermore, they should pay close attention to what the Prophet said and try to understand it on their own, without resorting to excessive questioning; receptiveness rather than obstinacy should be the hallmark of their attitude to his instructions. This is how one gains in faith, and it is the consolidation and strengthening of one’s faith that should be sought. The Prophet is the recipient of divine revelation. If one is earnest in seeking to learn him, one can share in his blessing. If, however, one is just jealous – why has it been granted to him rather than us? – the good it has to offer will remain forever beyond our reach.

“Many of the People of the Book wish, through selfish envy, to lead you back to unbelief, now that you have embraced the faith and the truth has been made known to them. Forgive them and bear with them until God makes known His will. He has power over all things. Attend to your prayers and pay the poor-due. Whatever good you do shall be rewarded by God. He is watching over all your actions. They declare: ‘None but Jews (or Christians) shall be admitted to paradise.’ Such are their wishful fancies. Say: ‘Let us have your proof, if what you say be true.’ Indeed, those that surrender themselves to God and are sincere shall be rewarded by their Lord: they shall have nothing to fear or to regret” (2:109-112).

Once the Jews had set their minds against the message of Islam as being worthless, they became alarmed by the heartfelt acclaim with which many were receiving it. They considered themselves the only ones qualified to pass decrees on truth and falsehood: how could others be allowed to believe in what they themselves had chosen to disbelieve? The first step that they took was to incite the polytheists to rise up against the Muslims. Secondly, they tried to mislead Muslim converts about their new religion, putting doubts into their minds in the hope that they would revert to the religion of their forefathers. It was only natural that this should provoke the Muslims, but God told them that this was not the time for violent reaction. It would be better to bear with them for a while, until decisive steps could be taken against them. If trust were placed in God alone, He would make this possible. Muslims should always be patient, since patience prevents one from taking negative retaliatory measures in the heat of the moment. They should be steadfast in prayers for prayer brings one closer to God. They should never fail in the payment of Zakat (the poor due), for a society in which the rich are willing to share with the poor will be based on compassion; there will be a real sense of togetherness among its members.

The Jews used to tell new Muslim converts that if you had to forsake your ancestral religion then become a Jew or a Christian. Being the descendants of saints and prophets throughout history, they were the ones who would go to heaven. But the Quran tells us that one does not deserve to enter heaven only by dint of belonging to a certain community. Everyone will be judged according to his own actions. National status is of no significance in the sight of God. To be sincere in one’s faith is to become so devoted to God that everything else assumes secondary importance. One will then be free of the prejudice, personal ties and material interests that are stumbling blocks on the road to truth; one will be free to respond positively to the call of truth when one hears it.